MANILA, Philippines -- Part of the reason for the anti-Arroyo public's adulation of Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., the Senate's star witness in its inquiry into the controversial NBN-ZTE deal, is the seemingly innocent but telling way in which he expresses himself. The following is a list of the words and expressions that are vintage Lozada, which have fired up the outrage in the streets.
1. I-triangulate kaagad kung nasaan itong telepono ko.
On his arrival from Hong Kong on Feb. 5, Lozada was met by men sent by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza who took him on a six-hour car ride. He said he began to fear for his life when his escorts refused to say where they were going. A telecommunications expert, Lozada texted his brother, telling him that he had been abducted and instructing him to "triangulate and find this signal."
Triangulation is a technique used to pinpoint the location of a mobile phone. This is done by measuring the distance the phone's signal has to travel to reach the nearest cell tower.
2. Naisip ko si Dacer.
Publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer was abducted and murdered in November 2000. The charred remains of Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito, were found in Cavite a few months later. Deposed President Joseph Estrada, Sen. Panfilo Lacson and the latter's trusted aide, Michael Ray Aquino, have been linked to the murder. The case remains unsolved.
3. Sanctuary na ang La Salle Green Hills.
Lozada has sought refuge at La Salle Green Hills (LSGH), a school run by the Christian Brothers. Groups of nuns and priests have been accompanying Lozada in his public appearances, recalling the role that the Church played during the repressive Marcos years.
4. Nagtahi-tahi yung kuwento nila sa media.
The day after Lozada was brought to LSGH, Senior Supt. Paul Mascariñas, one of those who had escorted him out of the airport, reportedly went to the school and asked Lozada to sign a typewritten request for police security, which was meant to prove that Lozada had not been abducted by government men.
Lozada said Mascariñas later returned with another security request letter for his sister, Carmen, to sign. In his testimony at the Senate, Lozada said Mascariñas' second visit may have been an attempt to properly "weave" the story that the police would present to media: "Hindi pa 'ata nagtahi-tahi yung kuwento nila sa media."
5. Bubukol
This is the term that Lozada used to explain to then Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. why a $130-million commission for him from the NBN project was not practicable. "Bubukol po ito ... siguro kalahati pu-puwede" (It will be too obvious, half of the amount might be feasible).
Bukol is Filipino for a bump or swelling. Lozada was trying to tell Abalos that a $130-million commission would be too big to go unnoticed.
6. Moderate their greed.
The now famous advice was then National Economic and Development Authority Director General Romulo Neri's supposed instruction to Lozada when the latter was asked to reconcile the two proposals for the NBN project, that of the ZTE Corp. group allegedly represented by Abalos and of the Amsterdam Holdings group of Joey de Venecia, the son of then Speaker Jose de Venecia.
According to Lozada, a 20-percent overprice for a government contract would qualify as acceptable or moderate greed. He said the NBN project was overpriced by $130 million, way beyond the normal ceiling. For him, moderating the greed in the NBN project meant not allowing the huge overprice.
Thus, to moderate the greed means to find the acceptable limits for corruption. Neri later explained that he was just using "colorful language" when he gave those instructions.
7. Loan agreement parang sa NorthRail.
According to Lozada, the Chinese businessmen that Abalos had met with in January 2007 said they had been promised that the NBN project would be done on a loan basis just like the NorthRail.
The NorthRail, a rail project to extend the existing railway line in Manila northwards to Bulacan province, is being built with a loan from China. The first section of the railway line will extend from the old Tutuban station in Manila to Malolos in Bulacan.
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile has alleged that former Speaker Jose de Venecia was the main lobbyist for the project which, he said, was exorbitantly priced at $503 million for a 32-kilometer railroad. He said the terms of the loan were skewed unfairly in China's favor.
8. Tapos pinagmumura niya ako. Lahat ng klase ng mura. Kumota (quota) po ako nung gabing 'yun.
Lozada said Abalos had angrily called him on Jan. 18, 2007, swearing at him and threatening to kill him. Lozada said he got a quota of curses that night. He said he decided to end his involvement with the NBN-ZTE project after this incident.
9. Mea culpa
Lozada said mea culpa (Latin for through my fault) when Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago confronted him with documents showing that the Philippine Forest Corp., which he then headed as president, leased out a 50-hectare piece of land in Antipolo to a company that he controlled.
"There are certain things I did in my life that I would like to change. But whatever respect I have for myself, I want to keep it. I am afraid I might lose my soul, I admit to that, mea culpa," he said.
Santiago rattled off a list of contracts that Philforest entered into with Gabriel Multimedia Services, a company owned by Lozada's brother, that did not go through mandatory bidding. She also questioned Lozada's purchase of a Toyota Camry worth P2.2 million and a four-wheel drive Toyota Hi-Lux reportedly for the use of Philforest.
She also revealed that Lozada bought for Philforest 35 imported goats for P700,000, which Lozada conceded was "expensive."
10. Permissible zone
After admitting to these questionable dealings, Lozada explained that these were within his personal "permissible zone" of corruption. He said kickbacks of 20 percent were the "norm" in government transactions.
Lozada said he told Abalos that a commission of $65 million for the latter in the NBN project would have been "acceptable." He said the $130 million commission that Abalos allegedly wanted was "too difficult to cover."
11. Jedi
Lozada described himself as a Jedi, a member of a fictional order of noble knights in the "Star Wars" films.
"When I was grappling with my own demons, I chose to be a Jedi. I did not want to fall on the dark side," he said. The "dark side" is the evil force in the Star Wars universe.
12. Probinsiyanong Intsik
The phrase, meaning rural Chinese, was what Lozada, who hails from the Bicol region, used to describe himself. He was comparing himself to "a De Venecia that even if he doesn't work for a few years he can still feed his family," and "an Abalos who has Mandaluyong as his kingdom."
13. Dysfunctional procurement system
According to Lozada, the aborted NBN project was a transactional example of the country's dysfunctional procurement system, meaning there is a "systemic dysfunction in how we procure projects."
He said the government's procurement system does not work because, institutionally, the process is supply-driven rather than need-driven. This means projects go to suppliers who are close to the powerful.
14. 20-percent commission is the norm.
At the Feb. 8 Senate hearing, Lozada said that a 20-percent overprice was the accepted norm in government contracts.
15. She is evil.
Lozada quoted Neri as saying this, referring to President Macapagal-Arroyo. Neri was supposed to have said this during a meeting last Dec. 7 at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati. The meeting was attended by opposition Senators Panfilo Lacson and Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal, among others. Neri was supposedly explaining how corruption happened in government and who benefit from it.
16. Ecosystem of corruption
Lozada said Neri used this phrase in the same Dec. 7 meeting, placing the President at the center of this ecosystem of corruption. Lozada said this was the context of Neri's "evil" reference to the President.
In that presentation, which Neri did not want publicized, Neri told Lacson and Madrigal that "oligarchs" like the Razons, the Aboitizes, the Alcantaras, and Lucio Tan benefited from a corrupt government set-up, and that the military and the police protected that set-up.
17. Patriotic money
This refers to some kind of fund, or "patriotic money," being put up for Neri's support as he would have to give up his government job once he decides to reveal what he knows about the NBN-ZTE deal. According to Lozada, last October, after testifying before the Senate, Neri had asked him to help in soliciting the "patriotic money."
18. I think I'm not defending the truth anymore. It's the truth that's defending me.
This was Lozada's parting shot in a Feb. 16 television debate with a group of government functionaries, including Abalos.
Lozada was reacting to the support he got from 92 percent of viewers who texted "yes" to the question: "Do you believe Lozada is telling the truth?"
The debate titled "Harapan: The Jun Lozada Exposé" was aired by ABS-CBN.
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